This is where Keith Emerson should be at this point in his career. Yes , he is still capable of playing, but not with the pace and complexity that most of the music he has written requires. Better to expand on what he has written , allowing others to front on certain aspects, while he takes the arranger and orchestrator role. His skills are still there enough to be a contributing player , but it doesn't have to be all about his playing. That's a given. What would be more interesting are more efforts like this album, reworking some of his past compostions , and integrating them with new visions, and the combined efforts with others as is done here.This album is one of the best recordings he has ever been involved in. Even though we have heard some of it before, many, many times, It comes across in many ways as fresh, new and exciting. For those with really good playback systems, the HQCD version is absolutely fantastic.

j-zeke

In 2008 Keith Emerson released the first album under the name of The Keith Emerson Band (featuring Marc Bonilla), and it was a good one, easily the best album Emerson had put out (under any name) since the 1992 reunion with Lake and Palmer (resulting in Black Moon), and also one of the better albums he has put out since ELP's qualitative decline in the mid 70's. This strong, self-titled Keith Emerson Band studio album was then followed by an excellent live album (and video) in 2010 featuring a storming concert performance recorded in Moscow with songs from the new album as well as many rocking renditions of classic ELP songs. Staying true to the originals, yet at the same time going beyond them in adding an extra element in Bonilla's electric guitar playing, this was a recipe for success and Emerson had not sounded more in his element for a long, long time.In the light of the above, this second Keith Emerson Band studio disc is a definite disappointment. Both Keith and Marc Bonilla are reduced to supporting roles here, leaving the main spotlight to the Munchner Rundfunkorchester conducted by Terje Mikkelsen. This is what I would like to call "Orchestral Rock", which is not Symphonic Progressive Rock--huge difference! Keith plays piano and some synths, Bonilla adds some electric guitar, the drums are handled by Troy Lucketta (and Toss Panos on one track), and Travis Davis plays bass.The material consists of some orchestral re-workings of old ELP classics like Tarkus, Endless Enigma, and Abbadon's Bolero, as well as adaptations of Classical music (previously performed by ELP) like Fanfare For The Common Man. Malambo is another Classical piece that also was included on both The Keith Emerson Band studio album and the Moscow live album. Interestingly, The Three Fates are not here.I am not fond of such orchestral Rock in general, and even though this album is actually a reasonably good example of that and a moderately pleasant listen, it is far from essential. In every case I would say that there are better versions than these orchestral re-workings. I hope The Keith Emerson Band returns with a proper new studio album featuring all new material in the style of their first. This one is for fans only.

Fritz-Anton

This album exceeded my expectations in one way, and disappointed in another.
I am not much of a fan of most orchestral renditions of classic prog rock. Earlier albums, many with some of the original band members adding tracks, rendered classics by Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, to name a few, into syrupy muzak.
Well. This album is different. A number of orchestrators, including Keith Emerson himself, managed to capture the spirit of the original ELP pieces, while infusing some surprises, and even some whimsey into the scores. The power of the orchestra is supreme in this recording, and it seems Mr. Emerson approves.
The disappointment comes from Emerson himself. While he's there on most tracks, adding piano, organ and synthesizers, there is very little of the fire in his fingers that made the classic ELP so much fun. I know he still has the magic. I've seen him with his recent band, and he can still light up the keyboards (literally and figuratively).
The Endless Enigma is split into two parts. The first has the orchestra showing just how beautiful this Emerson piece is. On the second part, Emerson and Marc Bonilla join in, but the orchestra still powers the piece. Another high point is Bonilla's American Matador, where the orchestra also raises the recording above the original.
There are a few new pieces on the album. Two pieces by Bonilla show that he is no slouch in orchestral composition, while Emerson's one new track, After All Of This, is much too sedate for my tastes.
The best piece is Tarkus. The orchestration here is superb, and even Emerson gets a bit excited when playing. This track is a masterpiece.

Scott

The Three Fates Project combines rocker Keith Emerson's band -- featuring guitarist Marc Bonilla -- with the 70-piece Münchner Rundfunkorchester, conducted by Terje Mikkelsen, though these orchestrations are much more ambitious than the earlier Emerson, Lake & Palmer recordings with orchestra. This is hardly a typical rock-meets-orchestra recording, as the orchestra has a more prominent role than usual, while virtuoso Emerson's occasional solos are more sublime, while all vocals have been omitted. "The Endless Enigma" was an Emerson work rarely played in concert, so hearing a fleshed-out, dramatic orchestra arrangement casts it in a different light. The complete "Tarkus" suite, retitled "Tarkus (Concertante)," undergoes an even more radical transformation, as Emerson's prominent organ fades into the background as the focus shifts to the orchestra, with Bonilla taking advantage of his featured solos, particularly in "Battlefield," while Emerson's synthesizer is dominant in "Aquatarkus." An earlier orchestral version of Emerson's "Abbadon's Bolero" appeared on a late-'70s promotional interview LP (On Tour with Emerson, Lake & Palmer), but this new recording sounds better rehearsed, with Emerson bursting out on synthesizer in the finale. Another orchestral reprise is a new version of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," with Bonilla's potent solo in the jam section being a highlight. Both band and orchestra dive full force into Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera's lively dance work "Malambo," building to a furious climax. There are also new works that make their premiere here. Emerson's "After All of This" has a pastoral air, while Bonilla's "Walking Distance" is a multifaceted work that sounds like it could have been written for a film soundtrack. Bonilla's "The Mourning Sun" is a somber, emotional work played by the string section. The Three Fates Project succeeds far beyond earlier experiments in blending rock with orchestra, inviting rock fans to open their ears and expand their listening habits.

Ken Dryden

Anyone familiar with the history of Keith Emerson is likely to see an album titled The Three Fates Project and immediately think of the first Emerson, Lake, and Palmer collection. After all, back in 1971, side two of ELP’s self-titled debut record opened with the three-part suite, “The Three Fates,” including “Clotho,” “Lachesis,” and “Atropos.” However, the track list of The Three Fates Project doesn’t include any of those mythical sisters.
That’s because, according to Emerson collaborator Marc Bonilla, the title has nothing to do with the suite. Instead, he says the title came from the coming together of three worlds: the keyboards and compositions of Emerson, the guitar and writing of Bonilla, and the conducting of Terje Mikkelsen with the 70-piece Münchner Rundfunkorchester. The resulting hybrid, Bonilla believes, is unique in music history.
What the participants were able to do, Bonilla says, is blend their musical parts as a team, something classical performers are accustomed to, rock musicians less so. While most classical players can’t relate to rock musicians and most rockers “think orchestral types are stuffed shirts,” Bonilla says Mikkelsen has “a rock and roll heart.”
Still, a major challenge was to fully integrate the musicians so The Three Fates Project wouldn’t become a rock band backed by an orchestra or a program where the symphonic components would dominate some passages, the rockers others. For example, Bonilla notes longtime Emerson drummer Troy Luccketta (a veteran of the multi-platinum band Tesla) didn’t have experience with the dynamics and rhythm changes typical of orchestral arrangements. (The Keith Emerson band is Emerson, Bonilla, Luccketta, and six-string bassist Travis Davis.) On the other hand, Mikkelsen had never conducted a rock band before. So it was no small feat to bring all these forces together in a completely new way.
Bonilla adds Three Fates is both a full circle project for Emerson and the fulfillment of a course he’s been on for some time. In particular, the 20-minute version of the ELP classic, “Tarkus,” allowed Emerson to add a depth to an old composition he couldn’t have accomplished in the early ‘70s. Other re-imaginings of ELP work include parts one and two of the sweeping “The Endless Enigma Suite,” “Abaddon’s Bolero,” and the two-part interpretation of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare
for the Common Man.” New material includes Emerson’s “After All of This” and Bonilla’s “Walking Distance” and “The Mourning Sun.” Featuring Toss Panos on drums, “American Matador” is from Bonilla’s second solo album, and the set also includes Alberto Ginastera’s “Malambo.”
Recorded in Munich and Los Angeles over nine months starting in summer 2011, The Three Fates Project is a demonstration of many things, not the least of which is how much Emerson has evolved over the decades. Once a member of a power trio known for theatrics and bombast, Emerson still uses the tools he made famous in the ‘70s, including his trademark Moog synthesizer. But he’s far more subtle, restrained, and, yes, far more integrated into an ensemble rather than being the star of one. In fact, while Emerson is the “brand name,” it would be fairer to call this the Emerson-Bonilla Band as Bonilla’s choice guitar work is as equal a component as the keyboards of Emerson.
If you’re looking for “prog rock,” The Three Fates Project isn’t it. If you’re hoping for something resembling ELP, you’ll only hear quiet, occasional touches until “Fanfare for the Common Man Part II,” which is as close to straight-up rock as the album gets. In the main, the album is exactly what Bonilla claims: a hybrid of classical and rock forms where lush soundscapes and intricate arrangements dominate the thematically separate orchestrated songs. I will say the album is much more classical than rock, so expect 11 tracks of drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards sitting side-by-side with the strings, woodwinds, and horn sections. Perhaps you’re also ready to come full circle with Keith Emerson and hear old melodies in a way you might not have accepted back in the day when showmanship and virtuosity were king.